


If Only, If Only

by orphan_account



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action/Adventure, Age Alteration, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Cloud Strife, Drama, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, In Character, Insecurity, Kindred Spirits, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Character Undeath, Man Pain, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-24 22:11:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3786109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A single recurring dream and a fistful of curiosity changes the life that Cloud was supposed to live. With the help of his unexpected boyfriend Zack and some "old friends", will Cloud be able to save Gaia from its seemingly inevitable destruction?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_He was in an unrecognizable place, kneeling on the ground with an unconscious Tifa in his arms. There was an injured Soldier on the stairway across from him._

_“Cloud…” the soldier managed to mutter. “Finish Sephiroth off…”_

_Cloud nodded and lay Tifa gingerly back onto the cold ground. He grabbed the massive sword bloody sword that was next to him, and made his way to the stairs._

_That’s when he saw Sephiroth, carrying the head of some creature in one hand, his masamune in the other._

_Cloud could feel anger and hatred bubble up from his core, and he charged at the general._

This dream was not unfamiliar to Cloud. He had been having it for years, and it was actually part of the reason he joined Shinra. The first time he had it, he was eight years old. He did not recognize Tifa or Sephiroth. He had the dream a few more times throughout the years, but he could never make any sense of it. And then came the day he saw Sephiroth on television. Cloud remembered sitting frozen in front of the small screen while a reporter talked about the greatness of the Silver General.

Cloud didn’t really know how to feel at the time. Eventually, he pushed the dream from his memory, assuming that it had to be some kind of weird coincidence. Sephiroth was a hero, nothing like the version in his dreams.

Then, as Cloud grew older, he was able to recognize the girl as an older version of Tifa. That’s when it got slightly personal, even though he and Tifa hardly had a relationship. He decided that this dream, or premonition, or whatever the hell it was, could no longer be a coincidence. He knew he needed to join Shinra, and he needed to make sure that whatever terrible thing that happened to Sephiroth in his dreams never happened to him in the present time.

Cloud had this dream countless times. He could replay it in his mind while he was awake, and accurately include every detail of the scene. However, this time, something was different.

This time, a voice rang through his mind just as he woke up.

“ _Save him.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know this barely counts as a prologue, but bare with me! I'm working on setting the tone and getting things the way I want them (and also learning how to navigate this website). The chapters will continue to grow in length once the plot gets going. Anyways, thank you for reading! Your feedback is appreciated, so don't hesitate to comment!
> 
> *This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Final Fantasy world, which is trademarked by Square Enix. Unfortunately, I do not claim any ownership over these characters. I do not profit financially from this work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a quick blurb about this chapter before you get started. I will sometimes be switching POV through out this fic, but I won't ever let it get too out of hand and confusing. This chapter starts out in Cloud's POV, then switches to Zack's near the end. Quite a bit of canon divergence, but whatever. Also, I've added a few of my own characters, but I don't think that they will really play a major part in this anyways. For those of you who are FFVII history buffs, sorry if some of the stuff doesn't line up...in all honesty, I don't want it to anyways. But yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I really enjoyed writing it!

Cloud woke abruptly, his heart hammering heavily within his chest. He rubbed his eyes and steadied his breathing.

The barracks were still totally dark, which was a relief. He could still squeeze in another few hours of sleep. Unfortunately, he was wide awake and focusing on the change to his ten year long recurring dream.

“Save him?” he asked himself. “The SOLDIER?” He had still never found out who the black haired SOLDIER was, even after being with Shinra for over a month.

            Cloud huffed and flipped onto his stomach, staring at the bars at the head of his bed.

            In all honestly, Cloud had given up questioning this decade long dream. He had thought about every possible explanation for why it was happening. Was he cursed by some supernatural entity? Was he a prophet of sorts? Did he make it up in his mind? Was he just crazy? Cloud always went with the latter. He knew that he should have stayed home, should have avoided pursuing the odd pull that the dream had on him. He didn’t know Tifa, and yet he still felt obligated to save her if for some reason the dream was a vision of the future. He didn’t know the black haired SOLDIER either, but he _felt_ like he did. And if anything happened to either of them, something that he could have prevented…well, it would be all his fault.

            Cloud pondered the dream a little more, wondering if there were any alteration to the rest of it. As far as he could remember, there hadn’t been. After an hour or so, his mind began to slow down, and he was able to fall back asleep.

 

           

By morning, Cloud had nearly forgotten his dream. He carried on with his day, beginning at six am, lasting until five pm. Because of his sleep disturbance, he was exhausted after his final class of the day ended.

            “Cloud!” a voice rang out behind him. He turned and recognized a small man, smaller than him, running in his direction. He managed a smile and waited for him to catch up.

            “Hey, Samuel.” Cloud said when the man was closer.

            “Hey yourself!” Samuel chuckled. “Got any plans for tonight?”

            Cloud shrugged. It was Friday night, the beginning of the weekend. He usually spent them training alone, or playing cards with the other men who were too anti-social to go to the bars. “Probably hit the gym for a while tonight. Otherwise, nothing. Why what’s up?”

            Samuel sighed as the entered the cafeteria. “You know, keep training like you are and you’ll make the rest of us look bad!”

            Cloud laughed. “Alright, how about you come with? You were really slacking on that 5K this morning, maybe you should work on your cardio.”

            “Psh.” Samuel scoffed as they got in line. “You’re funny. You know cardio isn’t my strong spot.”

            “Which is why you should work on it. Unless you _want_ to pass out in front of the judges during the physical examination.”

            Samuel wiped his greasy brown hair back from his forehead. “Nah, I’ll be alright. We still have another two months before that anyways! I don’t want to waste up all of my energy before then!”

            Cloud chuckled and grabbed one of the plastic trays, filling it with a scoop of macaroni, an apple, and a steamy pile of broccoli. Samuel opted out of the vegetables and got a double order of macaroni.

            The two found an empty table near the window that overlooked the courtyard and settled into it.

            “So what happens if we don’t make it into SOLDIER?” Samuel asked, cheese flying from his mouth.

            “Uhh…you know, I never really thought about it. I’m sure if you have some sort of asset that is proven to be beneficial to the company, they’ll keep you around. Maybe hire you as a cook or a janitor.” Cloud bit into his apple. “Or maybe they just take you out back and let the SOLDIERS execute you.” he joked.

            Samuel groaned. “I don’t know how to cook or clean!”

            “Don’t plan on failing the exams then!” Cloud exclaimed. “Two months. You can train and make it, man. I have faith in you.” The last part was a lie. Cloud liked Samuel. He was the first friend he made while in Shinra. However, Samuel was…lazy. Inattentive. Careless. Forgetful. He was basically everything a SOLDIER wasn’t. But Cloud couldn’t bring himself to tell him that.

            “Eh. I guess we’ll just see.” Samuel grumbled quietly.

            The two finished their dinner, and Cloud headed off to change before going to the gym.

            To his surprise, there were only three men inside of the gym when he arrived. None of them were familiar, but they were clearly all SOLDIERS. They were larger than Cloud, which was intimidating. He opted out of weight lifting, and instead took a place at one of the treadmills on the far end of the room.

            Cloud had been excited when he first was able to use these special treadmills. They were virtual reality. The user wears a helmet that shows a different landscape, like a forest, desert, or even a bog. It would throw obstacles in the way, and the more you were able to avoid, the more points you would get. It was basically a training session for stamina, as well as agility, preparing one for the off chance that they would need to run away from something pursuing them.

He grabbed the helmet that was resting on top of the controls and slid it over his blonde spikes, then scrolled through the map options before hopping onto the conveyer.

            Somehow, he ended up jumping onto the same map as the man running next to him. He immediately had to jump over a log that was in his way, and he felt the conveyer begin to move beneath him. He could barely see the SOLDIER ahead of him, and knew that whatever they were running from must be close behind. He pressed a button that increased the speed, trying to catch up to the SOLDIER.

            After a solid five minutes of jumping and ducking, Cloud was finally caught up to the man ahead of him. They ran along side of each other, offering no words or glances. They just ran and ran, until an opening in the forest could be seen. This was when the simulation got difficult. Cloud could hear the monster gaining on them, forcing him to crank up the speed even more. The other runner did the same, and Clouds legs screamed at him to give up, his lungs aching with lack of proper oxygen intake. But he knew he couldn’t give up, and he had to finish strong.

            Finally, they reached the end, and the simulation was completed. Cloud took his helmet off as the conveyer belt beneath him began to slow steadily to a stop. He stepped off and wiped the sweat from his face, bending over to attempt to catch his breath.

            “You did good out there, kid.” The man said. “I was doing a level ten, infantrymen usually can’t make it past a level five.

            Cloud continued to breathe heavy, but managed to mutter “Well, I didn’t really run the whole thing. I don’t think it counts.”

            He glanced up at the man, who was now standing on the opposite side of the treadmill Cloud had been using. His blood ran cold through his veins, and his heart jerked into his throat.

            It was literally the man of his dreams.

            “Don’t be modest. I was only a little over a minute in before you joined me. We were going at it for a good half an hour.” His bright Mako eyes shined at Cloud, who forced a smile.

            “You aren’t even breaking a sweat!” he finally straightened up. “I can’t even breathe, and you look like you could do it again twelve times over!”

            The SOLDIER laughed. “I’ve been with Shinra for two years man, I should hope that my stamina is a little higher than that of someone whose been here a month.” He extended his hand. “Zack Fair, by the way.”

            Cloud nonchalantly wiped his sweaty palm on his shorts before shaking Zack’s hand. “Cloud Strife, sir.”

            Zack rolled his eyes. “I don’t care too much for formalities, Cloud. Not until I make it to First Class, anyways.” He winked.

            Cloud’s heart was finally relaxing, and he half smiled at Zack. “I’ll try to remember that.”

            Zack ran his fingers through his black, porcupine-like hair. “As much as I would love to chat, I do need to get going. I have a training session with my mentor.” He said unenthusiastically, setting the helmet down on his own treadmill. He turned to walk away, but faced Cloud once more before adding, “I’ll see you around, Spikey.”

            Cloud grunted and shook his head, smiling. “Yeah, see you around.”

            Zack returned the smile and left the gym, grabbing his bag on the way out the door. As subtly as possible, Cloud grabbed his own gym bag and scuttled out behind Zack, not wanting to lose sight of him.

            He followed him down the opposite end of the hallway that lead to the gym, and immediately knew what kind of training Zack was going to do. He found the door that lead up the stairs, and was able to peek through the large double sided window that showed the training room that Zack had headed into.

            Cloud recognized the other man immediately as First Class Angeal Hewley, quite possibly the most influential and honorable SOLDIER to date. He wasn’t able to hear what they were saying, but he could tell that Angeal was yelling at Zack for something. Cloud looked at the time and realized it was a little after six-thirty, so maybe Zack was late for his training.

            Cloud’s face turned red as he watched Zack begin to strip down, changing into his heavier SOLDIER uniform. Angeal continued to chew Zack out, not even paying mind to the Second’s lack of decency, making Cloud wonder if Zack was always so shameless.

            While he watched Zack put on the goggles and fight, Cloud’s mind processed what was going on. If Zack was a second class SOLDIER, then why in the world would he need the help of Cloud? Better yet, _how_ was he supposed to save him? Was he supposed to wait until the moment came, and he had to reenact his dream? Or could he fix it all before that even happened?

            Cloud noticed that Zack was an excellent fighter and swordsman. He had to be on the fast track to First Class. However, Angeal stepped in and ended the simulation before Zack even got to finish.

            Cloud decided to scurry out before the other two left, and made his way back to the barracks.

            He took a quick shower and dragged his feet to his bed, collapsing into it immediately.

            “Aww, did pretty boy have a long day?” he heard his bunk mates low voice come from above. He opened his eyes and saw Ryley’s face peeking down at him.

            “I did actually, yeah.”

            Ryley grinned. “You just getting back from the gym?”

            “Yeah. I think I popped a lung and blew out my spleen, but I might be okay.” He muttered, folding his arm beneath his head.

            “Oh thank the Gods, we wouldn’t want anything serious happening to our favorite blonde!”

            Cloud rolled his eyes and chuckled. “What’re you doing, turning in so early? You shouldn’t even be tired, it’s not like you do anything all day.”

            Ryley raised his eyebrows. “Damn! What kind of snarky monster have we all turned you into!” he laughed and his head disappeared, only for him to slide down a moment later. “I actually have plans for the night, I was taking a little snooze before I go out. You know, you should come with. Meet some babes, have a good time.”

            “Not really my thing.”

            “Okay, fine. I can find you a dude instead.”

            “Not that, the whole going out thing!” Cloud exclaimed defensively. “I don’t like the bar scene. I’m not much of a drinker.”

            Ryley shook his head and sat down on the foot of Cloud’s bed as he tied on his boots. “Whatever you say man. Either way, more for me.” He grinned as he finished with his boots, and then he was on his way.

            Cloud tried to think more about Zack, but it was a wasted effort. Instead, he fell into a deep, comfortable, uninterrupted, sleep.

 

 

            Zack’s feet pounded on the treadmill, his breath even and steady. He checked the time quickly, and figured he would be finished just in time to make his training session with Angeal.

            Angeal seemed off these days. He was crabbier than normal, and a lot less lenient. Zack assumed the now daily training simulations were part of the First Class regime, but it still seemed a bit ridiculous. Besides, when was he ever going to have to fight something as strong as a thousand infantrymen, or even Sephiroth himself?

            He sensed someone step onto the treadmill next to him and join in on the run. He didn’t glance back, but could tell that the other man was gaining on him. After a while, the two were running side by side. Zack could sense the heart rate of the other man sky rocket, and figured that he was an infantryman who would be dropping out any minute. However, he stood his ground, and finished strong alongside Zack.

            He was thoroughly impressed. Infantrymen _never_ made it past level five, and this kid rocked through level ten!

            He got off of his treadmill and pulled the helmet from his head, shaking his hair out.

            He looked down at the infantryman, who was doubled over and panting hard. There was something familiar about the wild blonde spikes, but he couldn’t figure out what.

            The two exchanged a brief conversation before the blonde looked up at Zack, who nearly gasped out loud. A quick flashback of the recurring dream he had been having for years pierced through his mind.

            He was carrying the blonde through a thick rain storm, constantly having to ward off what looked like Shinra infantrymen. He never reached a destination, but something inside of him knew that he needed to get somewhere, and fast. Nothing ever changed in the dream. Until the one he had last night. At the very end of his dream, just before he woke up, a voice rang out around him. _“Find him.”_

Zack couldn’t even remember what he had said to the blonde, only realizing what was going on when he was shaking hands with him.

            “Cloud Strife, sir.” The blonde said.

            So his name was Cloud? It was so strange, to finally have a name for the man he was always saving in his dreams.

            Zack sort of panicked when he realized he was late, and cut his introduction short before leaving the gym to meet Angeal.

            He was seven minutes late.

            “Where the hell have you been?!” Angeal exclaimed. “We said six-thirty, and you come strolling in, out of uniform, seven minutes late!”

            “Sorry, sorry.” Zack mumbled, digging his SOLDIER uniform out. He changed right in front of Angeal, not wanting to waste any time by being modest. Besides, it wasn’t like Angeal hadn’t seen him in his underwear before.

            He went through a simulation, and he knew that it went terribly. In the end, Angeal had to cut it short.

            “What is wrong with you today?” Angeal asked. “Where is your head?”

            Zack shrugged. “You’re overworking me, Geal. I’m a growing boy, I need a break once in a while.”

            “First Classes don’t get breaks.” Angeal spit. He then took a deep breath. “Sorry. Maybe you’re right. But I don’t think you’re being honest with me, Zack. What’s on your mind?” he was calmer now, speaking gently.

            “It’s nothing…” Zack shoved his workout bag with his foot. “Just…you remember me having that dream, right? Where I’m carrying that infantryman through the rain?”

            Angeal nodded. “I didn’t know you were still having it.”

            “Well, I wasn’t. I hadn’t for a long time. But I had it again last night. And then…I shit you not Angeal, I met the guy today. That’s why I was a little late. I ran into him at the gym. What do you think that means?”

            Angeal frowned. “You’ve never met him before?”

            “Just learned his name today.”

            “What was it?”

            “Cloud Strife.” Zack said, sensing familiarity within the name. “And I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like I know him. Something is really whacky about all of this.”

            “I agree.’ Angeal said simply. “I’ll do some digging on him. But don’t let this get in the way of what is important, Zack. I don’t know what to make of it, but it’s most likely just one big coincidence.”

            Zack nodded. “I sure hope you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, how was it? I know it's still a little short, I'm working on spicing up details as I progress. Please bookmark it in preparation for chapter 3, and pleeease leave comments. Even if it's negative, I'd like to hear it :) And for those of you awaiting smut, I promise I won't let you down!
> 
> By the way, I made a tumblr! Follow me at www.zack-fairs-booty.tumblr.com for status updates and related FF posts :)
> 
> *This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Final Fantasy world, which is trademarked by Square Enix. Unfortunately, I do not claim any ownership over these characters. I do not profit financially from this work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is another chapter where the POV shifts from Cloud to Zack, though Zack's version is a lot shorter. I don't know why it feels right to write it this way, but when they are actually together a lot more, I won't have to do this. It just helps keep me organized I guess. But yeah, this one's kind of short, but it's taking me a little while to transition into the progression of the story line. So hopefully you don't find this too dull and give up on reading! I promise it will really start to take off soon :) Enjoy! <3

            Cloud’s focus was slightly off during his materia class the next day. Though it didn’t matter, as he already knew the basics of structure, use, and development. He couldn’t get his mind off of Zack, and how he was going to go about approaching the second class SOLDIER again.

            “I know you already understand what I’m saying, Strife, but it would be nice if you could at least _look_ like you are paying attention to me.” Professor Meridean grumbled from the front of the lecture hall.

            Cloud was seated in the second row from the front, directly in the middle. He hadn’t even realized he was speaking to him until he felt the entire gaze of the room shift to him. His face darkened with embarrassment.

            He made eye contact with the professor, who had to be no older than twenty six. “Sorry.” Cloud apologized, clicking his pen. “What were you saying?”

            He half smiled and aimed his laser pointer at the projector tarp, which showed four orbs of materia. “What kind of materia are these?”

            Immediately, Cloud responded “Summon materia.”

            “Can you tell me the function of a summon materia, Strife?”

            “It, uh, summons a creature to be used in battle.”

            He smiled. “And can you identify which ones are fully developed, along with which one is of the highest level?”

            Cloud’s eye flicked across the four. “Well, the first and fourth are the fully developed ones, as they are the deepest shade of red. The second and third are still somewhat see through, so they need more time to become denser. And the first one is the highest level, as it is giving off a much more vibrant glow than the fourth.”

            Meridean beamed at him. “Good to know at least _someone_ is listening to me ramble along down here. Go back to your daydreams, Strife.”

            Cloud’s face heated up again, and he tried to focus more intently throughout the rest of the lecture, answering questions here and there to make up for the silence of the rest of the class.

            When class let out at three, Cloud stood quickly to leave. However, Meridean summoned him to the front before he could sneak out.

            “You’re at the top of my class, you know.” he told him, organizing papers into his briefcase. “There hasn’t been an instance where I questioned you and you didn’t have answer for me.”

            Cloud shrugged. “I’m a quick learner. And this stuff…well, it’s interesting to me. It’s easy to learn when the subject is intriguing.”

            Meridean nodded, folding his arms over his chest. “Cloud, there’s really no reason for you to waste your time in my class. You are on the fast track to becoming a great SOLDIER, and I don’t want to hold you back from that. So here’s what I’m going to do.” He grabbed a piece of paper from the front desk. “I want you to show up to Professor Green’s class at eight a.m. on Monday and give him this form.”

            “What is it?” he asked, taking it from him.

            While Cloud skimmed through it, Meridean answered. “It’s a transfer form. I want you to start your materia skills training, instead of sticking around in my class. You might be a little behind, as it’s usually only for third class SOLDEIRS but…when I present the final exam at the end of next month, just make sure you show up for it.”

            “Are you sure this is okay?” Cloud asked, frowning.

            “Of course!” He smiled. “I wouldn’t suggest it if you weren’t allowed to. I want you to be challenged, and you’re not getting the challenge you deserve by being in my class. I think that you could really benefit from this.”

            Cloud folded the paper and shoved it into his back pocket. “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot.”

            Meridean beamed at him. “Wonderful.” He stepped closer to Cloud and rested his hand gently on the side of Cloud’s bicep. “I’m sad to see you go, but I know you’re going to do very well in SOLDIER.” he added, running his hand down Cloud’s arm. “Not to mention, you’ll start to finally fill out.” he winked.

            Cloud pulled his arm away. “Thanks for the recommendation.” And he turned away, walking quickly out the door.

            Cloud shook the thought of Meridean out of his head. The young professor had always been sort of overly friendly towards Cloud, and it made him nauseous. It wasn’t that Meridean was unattractive, but Cloud thought that he was the type of man who you would hate to run into late at night on the street. He was actually thankful that he wouldn’t have to see him three days a week anymore.

            He made it back to the barracks and decided to change into workout clothes. He figured that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his homework anyways, so he at least could get some more training in.

            His lack of focus caused him to nearly trip over himself as he pushed through the gym door, and a familiar person came into view.

            Zack peeked over his shoulder and greeted Cloud with a smile.

            “Hey, it’s you again!” he said, shoving his phone into his pocket. “You didn’t come here to have another go at the simulator again did you?”

            Cloud chuckled and shook his head. “No, my legs are still shot from yesterday. I was going to have an arm day but…” he looked around the empty room.

            “You need a spotter?” Zack asked enthusiastically.

            “I can’t-“

            “I’ll spot you!” Zack offered before Cloud could protest.

            “Are you sure? You probably have millions of other things going on, I don’t want to keep you from your duties.”

            Zack had already began to prepare one of the bench presses that lined the left side of the room. “You’re just scared that I’m gonna make fun of those little arms.” His eyes flicked to Cloud’s for a split second before loading more weights onto the bar.

            “They’re not that little!” Cloud said defensively, looking at his biceps.

            “I could pick my teeth with them.”

            Cloud dropped down onto the bench. “Whatever, man. You won’t be saying that after I bench a clean two hundred.”

            Zack snorted. “You know, I’m gonna be able to tell that you’re lying when you struggle with the one fifty I put on here.”

            Cloud said nothing, but positioned himself directly beneath the bar. He aligned his thumbs with the smooth markings, and lifted the bar off of the rack. As Cloud predicted, the one fifty was a breeze. He almost smirked when Zack’s face showed a look of surprise.

            “Alright, alright. You got me, man. I may have to learn to take you more seriously.” He retreated back and grabbed more weights to add to the bar.

            “No worries.” Cloud smiled. “I’m small, but I’m not a weakling. I thought you would have learned that from yesterday, but…”

            Zack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I got you. Two hundred on there, kiddo. Show me what you got.”

            Cloud did twelve reps, his arms shaking slightly near the end.

            He sat up afterwards and rolled his shoulders to get the blood to pump back to his fingertips. “So, where are you from?” he questioned, filling the silence.

            “Me? Gongaga.” Zack answered, circling around to stand in front of Cloud. He began to do squats while Cloud was resting.

            Cloud stifled a laugh. “Gongaga, eh? I was wondering where that little accent you have was coming from.”

            “Whoa now, what do you know about Gongaga?!” Zack pointed defensively.

            Cloud shrugged and lay back down on the bench. “Nothing, just sounds a little backwater to me is all.”

            Zack stood above Cloud again, resting his fingertips near Cloud’s fists when his arms started to shake again near the end.

            “What about you, huh?” Zack asked. “You can’t hide you northern accent from me, where are you from?”

            Cloud sat up again. “Nibelheim.”

            Zack burst out in laughter. “That sounds pretty backwater to me!”

            “Yeah, yeah.” Cloud brushed him off. “I guess we’re both some genuine country boys then.”

            “I suppose so.” Zack folded his arms across his chest. “Total opposites in a way, though.”

            Cloud lay back down to begin his final rep. “How do you mean?” he questioned, positioning himself again.

            Zack rounded the bench to stand over Cloud. “Well, I’m from the south. You know, warm, sunny, cheerful. And you’re from the north. Which is cold and snowy and gloomy.” He had to help Cloud with the last few reps. When Cloud was nearly done, he added with a smirk “Kind of fits your personality.”

            Cloud nearly dropped the bar, and Zack had to catch it.

            “I’m not gloomy!” Cloud pouted, pushing the bar back up and letting it rest for the final time. “You’re just overly cheerful, you probably think everybody around you is gloomy.”

            Zack just shook his head and laughed. “Whatever tough guy, you wanna attempt to spot me?” he began to add more weights onto the bar.

            Cloud slid off of the bench. “Uhh, I mean, I can try.”

            Cloud saw a smile creep over Zack’s face as he took his turn laying down on the bench. “Don’t worry, kiddo, I have faith in you.”

            “What’s with all this ‘kiddo’ stuff?” Cloud asked as Zack began his reps. “You can’t be much older than I am.”

            “I’m twenty.” Zack breathed. “And you’re…eighteen?”

            “Yeah, and? Two years doesn’t make me a kid compared to you.”

            “Well,” Zack put the bar back and stood up, stretching his arms out. “SOLDIER ages you. I’ve done a lot of things, you know? Been a lot of places, met a lot of people. I feel a lot older than twenty sometimes. I wasn’t trying to offend you, it’s just something I call all the recruits. But maybe you’re right, you really aren’t a kid either, Spikey.”

            “Spikey?!” Cloud exclaimed.

            “What?” a smug look spread over Zack’s face. “I won’t call you kiddo anymore, but I still have to call you something.” He lay back down on the bench. “Besides, I give all of my friends a nickname. It’s sort of my thing.”

            “Friend?” Cloud frowned. “I don’t think SOLDEIRs and recruits are even supposed to casually talk to each other, let alone be friends.”

            “I didn’t join SOLDIER so I could be a stuck up prude.” Zack told him. “If I was forced to only talk to other SOLDIERs or our superiors, I would lose my mind!” He finished up his reps. “And you _are_ spotting over four hundred pounds above me with your crotch six inches from my face. Spotting is intimate Cloud, it demands trust. And you can’t trust someone who isn’t a friend.”

            Cloud’s face went red and he snorted. “Not like I would be much help if you couldn’t lift it.”

            “Two is better than one, no matter what the circumstance.”

            Zack did his final rep, and the two continued their workouts together, each helping out when needed.

            During their workout, the image of Zack lying on the stairs, dying, kept popping into Cloud’s mind. And the more they talked and joked, the more he wanted to be able to stop that from ever happening.

            He also felt himself beginning to develop a sort of crush on Zack. He silently shamed himself for doing so, as his crushes usually ended badly. He had lost a lot of friends back home because of this.

             “Cloud?” Zack’s voice broke through his thoughts.

            Cloud blinked a few times and looked questioningly at Zack, who was holding an almost empty water bottle. “Sorry, what?”

            Zack snickered. “I asked if you wanted to go grab some dinner out on the town. I’m a growing boy, the cafeteria food here isn’t enough to satisfy my hunger.”

            “Sure.” Cloud agreed, feeling slightly nervous. “Yeah, I could eat.”

            “Alright, sweet. I’m gonna shower and change quick, do you want to meet by the water fountain in the main lobby at…what, six?”

            “Sounds good to me.” he said as they began to walk out of the gym.

            They walked down the hall quietly, but as they parted ways, Zack ruffled Cloud’s hair and chuckled. “See you at six, Spike.”

* * *

 

            Zack had been looking for some good music on his phone to help fill the silence of the gym when he heard someone stumble through the door. He glanced back, recognizing Cloud’s vibrant blonde spikes immediately.

            “Hey, it’s you again!” he had yelled, gratefully shoving his phone back into his pocket. He had been hoping that he would see Cloud again soon, so that he could possibly get some answers. But he didn’t want to freak the kid out by overwhelming him with questions right away, so he figured he should warm up to the recruit, gain his trust, and then go in for the kill.

            While they were working out, Zack found himself completely drawn to Cloud. It was odd.

            Zack knew that others thought of him as a friendly person. He also knew that he had an overwhelming personality that either made people cringe away or smile brightly when they saw him. And given Cloud’s personality type, the two should have clashed terribly.

            But they didn’t. Instead, Zack found himself trying his best to impress Cloud, and working extra hard to get the other man to smile and laugh.

            By the time they were done working out, Zack knew that he was falling for the one person in his life that had always caused him to feel afraid. Not exactly afraid _of_ Cloud, but afraid of losing him. He could still feel how he felt in his dream, with Cloud’s limp body slung over his shoulder.

            Even in his waking life, he had never been that afraid of something.

            He could tell something was on Cloud’s mind as well, something that was bothering him. He had grown quieter near the end of their workout, and now he was zoning out completely.

            “Cloud?” Zack asked.

            Cloud’s eyes snapped up to Zack, a bit of confusion on his face.

            “I asked if you wanted to go grab some dinner out on the town. I’m a growing boy, and the cafeteria food here isn’t enough to satisfy my hunger.”

            Cloud had agreed, and Zack felt his heart skip a small beat.

            While they walked down the hallway, Zack’s heart was still crashing in his chest. He could feel the mako begin to circulate throughout his body, giving him another rush of energy.

            Before they parted, he ruffled Cloud’s hair, probably a little too roughly.

            “I’ll see you at six, Spike.” he verified, and headed off towards his apartment.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter! I think from now on I will try to put a new one up every other Sunday, if not every Sunday. Don't hold me to my work though! Anyways, let me know what you think or how you feel about this chapter!
> 
> *This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Final Fantasy world, which is trademarked by Square Enix. Unfortunately, I do not claim any ownership over these characters. I do not profit financially from this work.


	4. Chapter 4

            Cloud stood near the massive water fountain, watching the continuous stream of water shoot upwards and then come back down again. His hands rested inside the pockets of his almost black jeans. He also opted for a casual plain black t-shirt that made him appear a bit more buff than he actually was.

            He didn’t know why he felt obligated to dress so nicely. If he had gone out with Samuel or Ryley, he probably wouldn’t have even have bothered to change out of his work out clothes, let alone shower. But tonight, he found himself spraying just a tiny squirt of cologne onto his neck. He didn’t even know why, it wasn’t like he was expecting to be up close and personal with Zack. But just in case…

            Zack approached the water fountain a few minutes before six. Cloud was already there, his back turned to him. He watched the blonde run a hand through his golden blonde hair, which was noticeably still damp from a shower.

            “Not even water can control those spikes, huh?” Zack’s voice called out.

            Cloud turned around and sighed. “You’re one to talk.” he breathed, nodding at Zack’s black hair. It was combed back, his own spikes still a little wet, but much more tame Cloud’s. He was wearing tight black jeans with a pair of worn out Converse sneakers, and a deep purple zip up hoodie over a light gray shirt.

            “My hair isn’t as noticeable as yours!” Zack exclaimed defensively. When he got close enough, he reached out and tousled Cloud’s hair.

            Cloud playfully shoved Zack’s arm away from him. “Do you _have_ to do that?”

            “I’m just messing with ya, Spike!” he laughed. “Hey, where do you wanna eat, anyways?”

            Cloud tried to flatten his hair back down, but with no success. “I actually haven’t really had the chance to go into Midgar, so I don’t even know what’s good. I was hoping to let you lead the way.”

            Zack folded one arm over his chest, bringing his other hand to his chin in a faux thinking position. “Well, what are you in the mood for?”

            “Uhh…maybe something super greasy and heart attack inducing?” he suggested. The food in the cafeteria really wasn’t that bad, but it was all nutritional and low in fat. Cloud missed his mom’s home cooked meals, with red meat, mashed potatoes, and thick gravy.

            “I know a great burger place under the plate!” Zack exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

            “Under the plate?” Cloud asked, wary. “Like…the slums?”

            “Come on, don’t judge.” Zack begged. “It seems kind of sketchy, I know, but the people there are great, and the food has never made me sick!” he clasped his hands together and stepped another foot closer to Cloud, leaving only a small space between them. “Can we _pleeeease_ go there? I’ll protect you from the big bad slum rats, I promise!”

            “Fine!” Cloud couldn’t help but smile. Zack pumped a fist into the air, causing Cloud to add, “You’re such a little kid, you know that?”

            “Someone has to make up for your all-too-mature personality.” Zack stated, leading the way out the building. “Don’t be a grump or I won’t pay for your dinner.”

            “You aren’t going to pay for it anyways!”

            “Mhm, we’ll see about that.” Zack winked down at Cloud.

            Cloud shook his head and decided it best not to try to argue with the older man. Maybe Zack would forget about it later.

            As they walked through Midgar, Cloud could pinpoint the exact moment in which they were nearing the slums. A burning rubber smell began to fill his nostrils, and the streets looked like they hadn’t been repaved since they were first build.

            “I spent a lot of time around here when I first moved down here.” Zack told Cloud after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

            “Why?” Cloud frowned.

            Zack shrugged. “I hated Shinra when I first joined. I didn’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of beef heads who only seemed to know how to fight, drink, and talk trash about everybody else.” He stretched his arms behind his head. “You know, back in Gongaga, I was really well known. There wasn’t a soul who hated me, not a single person who didn’t smile back when I smiled at them, or didn’t chat with me about things going on around town. But then I get here, where people would purposely avoid me in the halls, or would turn up their nose when I greeted them. So…I guess I came down under the plate to be around people who respected me in the same manner that I respected them. Is that weird?” Zack finished, looking down sadly at Cloud.

            “Of course not.” Cloud sympathized. “I think it’s a small town thing, though. We come from places where everybody knows almost everything about us, and we are shown the highest levels of respect, no matter what our social standing. But then we come here, where people turn up their nose at our accent or invalidate our kindness by calling it ‘creepy.’ It’s kind of like when you watch those crappy high school sitcoms, except we are the strange new kids, and Shinra is the school.” Cloud looked back up to Zack, who nodded along with what he has said. Cloud then added, “But you can’t tell me you didn’t make any friends right away. I mean, even _I_ did and I’m…what did you call me? ‘Cold and gloomy.’” Cloud smirked.

            Zack’s eyes widened a little, and his skin flushed with a tinge of embarrassment. “Come on, you didn’t take that to heart did you?” he grinned, lightly elbowing Cloud.

            “I’ll take it to my grave.” he joked, smiling back.

            Zack chuckled and shook his head. “Anyway, yeah I made some friends eventually, but people were intimidated by me. I was top of my class-well, I still am, and I was loud-okay, I still am, and I was just super talkative.” he sighed. “Alright, so I haven’t changed since, but people just didn’t warm up to me as fast as, say, you did.”

            Before Cloud had a chance to reply, Zack made a quick turn into the nearest building. Cloud followed behind him, getting a waft of deep fried food.

            Zack made a beeline towards a booth in the back that was slightly more private so they could continue talking without the loudness of the bar in front.            

            “You know, speaking of which, I was nervous about asking you to come out to eat with me.” Zack said after they each took a seat on either side of the booth.

            Cloud frowned. “Why would you be nervous about that?” How could _he_ make Zack nervous? If anything, it should have been vice versa. But Cloud felt at ease with Zack, and found that it wasn’t a hassle to make conversation like it was with some of the other Shinra members.

            A waitress appeared with two menus and two waters. “Hey cuties, can I get you anything else to drink?”

            Zack smiled up at her. “Yeah, can I get a hard iced tea?”

            She nodded and looked to Cloud, who quickly responded with “Uhh, lemonade?”

            “Hard lemonade?” she asked.

            “Sure.” Cloud agreed.

            Zack smirked at him as she left.

            “What?” Cloud asked, taking a sip of his water.

            “Have you ever drank before?”

            Cloud shrugged, setting his glass back onto the table. “Maybe.”

            “You don’t have to lie to me, Spike, and you don’t have to drink.”

            The waitress returned with their drinks. “Need another minute?” she asked, noticing the unopened menus.

            “Yeah, just a few.” Zack grinned at her. She blushed and turned away.

            Zack’s eyes flicked up to Cloud, who was now looking through his menu. He stared only briefly at him before opening his own menu.

            “I thought you might turn your nose up at me.” Zack said casually.

            Cloud looked up through his eyelashes at the older man. “What?”

            “You asked me why I was nervous about asking you to hang out. And I thought that you might tell me to piss off or something.” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly at Cloud.

            “Why would I do that?”

            “Because! I told you, I’m not used to people actually wanting to go out of their way to spend time with me. It’s whatever, it’s no big deal.” He changed the subject before Cloud could ask any more questions. “You know what you want?”

            “Uhh, yeah. I think I’m just going to get a burger. What’re you getting?”

            “Same thing! You want some cheese curds?”

            “I’ve never tried them, but I could give them a go.”

            Zack’s jaw dropped. “Never tried them?! What kind of place is Nibelhiem anyways? How can you never have tried _cheese curds_?”

            “I don’t know, we mostly eat a lot of soups and stews. Whatever will keep us warm?” Cloud’s brow furrowed together. “Is _that_ weird?”

            “Just seems funny to me is all. I forget how different our cultures are.” He took a large gulp of his iced tea.

            The waitress appeared again, a small note pad and a pen in her hand. “Are you all decided?” she asked, looking first to Zack and then to Cloud.

            “Yep!” both men said in unison. They then stared at each other for a second, each waiting for the other to tell the waitress their order.

            Zack chuckled and broke eye contact with Cloud, looking back to the waitress. “Yeah, can I get the double bacon cheeseburger combo meal with extra pickles and curly fries? And also, a large order of cheese curds.”

            “Sure.” She smiled, writing his order down. “And for you, sweetie?” she looked to Cloud.

            “Uhh, can I get a cheeseburger combo with only ketchup? And some curly fries for me as well.”

            She was still smiling as she wrote down Cloud’s order. “Alright, I’ll go put this in right away, and I’ll be back with your curds shortly.” She grabbed the menus off the table and retreated back to the kitchen.

            Cloud took a drink of his lemonade, forgetting it was filled with alcohol.

            “Oh.” He said, puckering his lips. “Oh wow, yeah that’s…gross.”

            Zack laughed, and he couldn’t help but notice how cute the blonde was. He silently cursed himself for thinking so, though. He needed to keep this strictly professional. It didn’t matter how skilled of an infantryman Cloud was, he couldn’t let himself begin to crush on him. “Come on, it can’t be that bad!” he teased, grabbing the glass from Cloud. After one sip, he too puckered his lips. “Okay, so it’s pretty strong. Try mine.” He pushed his iced tea over. “It’s a lot sweeter.”

            Cloud took a drink of it, noticing that Zack was right-it was much tastier than his own drink. “Yeah, this is good.”

            “Wait! I have an idea.” Zack exclaimed, claiming both glasses. He took a massive swig of the lemonade, and then dumped the rest of his iced tea into it. After a few stirs of his spoon, he pushed the glass to Cloud. “Alright, Spike, try that.”

            Cloud squinted at the glass, but took a swig anyways. The two combined was the best thing that Cloud had ever drank in his life. “This is amazing.” He breathed, handing the glass to Zack, who took a large gulp immediately.

            He closed his eyes and smiled. “Yep, that’s great.”

            The waitress returned with their cheese curds. “You need more drinks?”

            “Yes please!” Zack exclaimed. She chuckled and took their old glasses.

            Zack looked to Cloud. “Alright, Spike. Try one.”

            “Are you really going to sit and watch me eat these?” Cloud raised an eyebrow, grabbing a hot curd from the top of the plate.

            “Yes.” The black haired man stated seriously.

            Cloud sighed and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly.

            “Wow.” He said after swallowing. “How have I never tried these?”

            “I _know!_ ” Zack said happily, grabbing a few for himself. “Literally the best deep fried thing in all of creation.”

            The waitress returned with their drinks, which were in much larger glasses this time.

            After she left, Zack rested his chin on the table, staring intently at the glasses. “How can we mix these to make the ultimate alcoholic beverage?”

            Cloud snorted. “Why don’t we just drink half of each really fast and then mix them?”

            Zack sat back in his booth and folded his arms across his chest. “Are you trying to get me drunk, Cloud Strife?”

            “What?!” Cloud squeaked. “No, jeez, of course not!”

            Zack smirked. “Good, then I’ll let you drink half of the lemonade.”

            Cloud narrowed his eyes and picked up the glass, accepting Zack’s challenge. With three large gulps, half of the bitter-sweet drink was gone.

            Cloud could feel the alcohol already setting into his system, and his face was heating up. Zack dumped his tea into Cloud’s lemonade and stirred.

            “You know, I could mix those for you before I bring them out.” The waitress approached, two plates in her hands.

            “Nah, you don’t have to go out of your way.” Zack said as she placed his burger in front of him.

            “Nonsense. I’ll be back with more.”

            Throughout the rest of dinner, Zack and Cloud put back a combined total of twelve mixed drinks. Cloud’s head felt like it was floating, and he was hoping that he would still be able to walk when it was time to go home.

            Zack didn’t know why he let Cloud get drunk. It just sort of happened. They were having so much fun just talking and picking on each other that he didn’t realize that Cloud was hitting his limit. Hell, even _he_ was beginning to feel tipsy, which was rare on account of his high mako levels.

            Despite protest from Cloud, Zack insisted on paying for their meals and drinks. They headed out back down the street towards Shinra.

            Cloud ended up tripping over his own feet half a block later, falling right into Zack, who caught him easily.

            “Am I gonna have to piggyback your drunk ass all the way there?” Zack joked, steadying Cloud back on his feet.

            “Can you imagine?” Cloud laughed, holding onto Zack’s arm. “What would people think if they saw a big second class carrying a tiny infantryman on _his back?”_ he kept giggling as they walked.

            “I guess that would look pretty funny.” Zack agreed. Cloud was so wobbly on his feet that Zack had to keep one arm wrapped around the blonde’s shoulders to keep him from falling into the road.

            “Am I gonna be sick in the morning?” Cloud slurred, looking up at Zack.

            “Umm…probably. But I mean, it’s early, stay up a little longer and sober up.”

            The realization that he was completely wasted finally hit Cloud. “Oh no. I have to go back to the barracks like this.” He buried his face in his hands. “They’ll give me such a hard time.”

            “Why don’t you come back to my place for a bit?” Zack offered. “You can stay there long enough to purge the alcohol out of your system and then head to bed when you’ve sobered up.”

            Cloud stumbled, and Zack gave up trying to steady him. Instead, he took one of Cloud’s arms and slung it over his shoulder so that he could bare most of the blonde’s weight. A light piney scent emanated from Cloud, and Zack breathed it in deeply. It was a comforting smell. Not too strong, not too weak. It suited Cloud.

            “I’ve already taken up so much of your time, you don’t-“

            “You’re coming to my place.” Zack stated firmly. “I don’t want you going to the barracks like this anyways. Lots of weirdos in there, you know? Creepers that are just waiting for a pretty little blonde like you to be left passed out and vulnerable.” Zack chastised his word choice, but figured Cloud wouldn’t notice or really remember anyways.

            But he did. Cloud knew he was drunk, but he was still coherent. Did Zack just call him “pretty?” His face went even redder and he giggled. “I can take care of myself.”

            “Uh, yeah, okay, says the one who hasn’t been moving his feet, leaving me to carry all of his weight.”

            Cloud assessed the situation. His left arm was wrapped over Zack’s shoulders, clasping the older man’s left hand. Zack’s other arm was around the small of Cloud’s back, his hand resting tightly on Cloud’s hip. And his feet were dragging behind him. “Weird, I swear I was moving my legs.”

            Cloud knew he should feel embarrassed, but…he was too drunk to care.

            Before he knew it, they were outside of Zack’s apartment. Zack easily unlocked the door and pushed it open with his foot. He then dragged Cloud to the couch, setting him down gently.

            “Zack, your apartment spins.” Cloud called out as Zack closed and locked the door.

            “That’s just you, Spike.” Zack smiled, filling two glasses with cold water from his kitchen. “Drink this.”

            Cloud took the glass and began to chug.

            “Not so fast!” Zack exclaimed, taking the glass back from Cloud. He set both of their glasses on the coffee table and sat on the other end of the couch, folding his legs up so he could face Cloud. “Take it easy or you’ll end up making yourself even sicker.”

            Cloud rolled his eyes and kicked back on Zack’s couch, clasping his hands across his stomach. “You weren’t holding me back when we were drinking those lemonades.” He looked slyly at the older man.

            "I probably should have been a bit more careful.” Zack admitted.

            “Psh.” Cloud grumbled. “I am _fine.”_ He turned a bit and lifted his legs onto the couch, stretching them out until his feet were only centimeters from Zack’s.

            Zack rolled his eyes and flicked on the television. “Whatever you say, Spike.”

            They sat for a moment, watching a random show that Zack had chosen.

            Cloud broke the conversational silence. “Zack?” he asked, nudging the older man’s foot with his own. “You ever miss home?”

            Zack shrugged, stretching his own legs out so that they tangled with Cloud’s. “Not really. I went back a few months ago to say hey to my folks. But they have their own thing going on now, you know? Mom checks in here and there, sends me a gift for my birthday or for holidays. Typical mom things I guess.” He frowned. “Why do you ask?”

            “I don’t know.” Cloud bit his lip. “I’ve never been away from home for this long.”

            “What’s your family like?”

            “It’s just my mom.” Cloud sighed. “And she’s great. She makes _the best_ homemade stew.” He smiled at the image of his kind mother. “She would be able to make stew out of anything in the house, even when we had nothing left. She never let me down…I don’t want to let her down. But I also don’t want her to feel like I abandoned her, you know?” he reached out for his water and took a long drink.

            “She won’t.” Zack reassured him. “You’re a good kid, Cloud. I’m sure she understands you’re busy. And you aren’t letting her down, man. You’ll have no problem making her proud, I’m sure of it.”

            “I hope you’re right…” he trailed off.

            “What about your dad?” Zack asked.

            “Who knows?” Cloud grumbled. “He left us a long time ago. Which is why I hope mom doesn’t think that I would ever do the same thing.”

            Zack rubbed his toe on the side of Cloud’s ribs. “I’m sure she would never think you would do that to her, Spike. If you’re as good of a son as you are a friend, then the thought would never even cross her mind.”

            Cloud smiled over at the dark haired man. “Thanks, Zack.”

            A sudden cramp tensed within Cloud’s stomach. He sat up quickly, covering his mouth. “Oh God, Zack, where’s your bathroom?”

            “Oh shit, it’s through my bedroom.” Zack panicked, pointing at the door on the other side of the living room.

            Cloud shot up and ran across the room, crashing through the bedroom door and then the bathroom. Zack followed close behind, making sure Cloud didn’t trip on the way.

            While the blonde poured his guts into the toilet, Zack sat on the floor behind him and rubbed his back.

            “This tasted so much better the first time around.” Cloud mumbled, flushing the toilet.

            “Yeah, I’ll bet.” Zack leaned in closer to Cloud and ran his hand slowly through the younger man’s hair. “You’re really warm. Are you done puking?”

            Cloud shook his head. “I don’t know…”

            “I’m gonna grab you some water and Tylenol.”

            Zack disappeared for a second and returned with Cloud’s glass, full of fresh water. He set it gently on the back of the toilet and then began to fish around in the medicine cabinet.

            “Here you go, bud.” He nudged Cloud, who held his hand out. Zack dropped two Tylenol into it, and Cloud popped them into his mouth quickly. He grabbed his water and drank the entire glass in a few swigs.

            “Thanks.” He said, setting the glass back down. He rubbed his face into his hands and mumbled an apology.

            “You don’t gotta be sorry, Cloud.” Zack sat back down next to him, leaning up against the bathtub. “It was my fault anyways. You told me you’d never drank before and I still let you drink more than you should have.”

            Cloud groaned. “It’s still embarrassing.”

            Zack shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you in worse condition.”

            “What do you mean?” Cloud frowned.

            “Oh, I…uh…I’ll go get you more water.” Zack stood up quickly and grabbed the empty glass, scurrying back to the kitchen. Why had he let that slip? He couldn’t bring up his dream to Cloud right now, especially now that they were becoming really good friends.

            Cloud was left confused in the bathroom. What was Zack talking about? Was Cloud in such rough shape after their workout? Or did he already throw up once and had forgotten about it?

            He wasn’t going to let Zack avoid his question. He needed to know now so he would never look like an idiot in front of the older man again. When Zack returned, Cloud asked him again.

            “What do you mean you’ve seen me in worse condition?”

            Zack flinched at the question, but he knew he had to answer. He couldn’t _lie_ to Cloud. Not to those big blue eyes. “I don’t want to freak you out. I was going to talk to you about it eventually, just when the moment was right. For a long time now, I’ve been having this really weird dream. And you’re in it. Like, before we even met, I had this dream of you.”

            Cloud’s heart skipped a beat, and he could think of nothing else to say but “You’re having dreams too?”

            Zack frowned and nodded. “What do you mean ‘too’?”

            Cloud never thought he would tell anyone about his dream, _especially_ not one of the people involved inside of it. And he never thought that anybody else would be having the same type of dream. “Can we talk in the living room?”

            Zack helped Cloud to his feet and the two walked back into the living room, settling back down onto the couch.

            “Okay, so for over ten years now, I’ve been having this dream. It’s always been the same dream, every time. None of the details have changed, up until the night before last. I’m holding this girl, a friend from my hometown. You’re there too, and so is Sephiroth. But you and Tifa, you’re both hurt really bad. And Sephiroth is standing at the top of these stairs, and you tell me to finish him off. And that’s where it ends.” Cloud avoided Zack’s eye while he explained his dream, and continued to do so even after he was finished.

            “How is this possible?” Zack asked. “How is it possible that we have never met, but we’re dreaming of each other?”

            “I don’t know.” Cloud finally looked up at Zack. “What happens in yours?”

            “Well…” he scratched his head “ _you’re_ the one hurt in my dream. And we’re being hunted down by Shinra infantrymen. We are a lot older, but I wouldn’t be able to miss those golden spikes from a mile away. But that’s it, that’s all. It’s always exactly the same, up until…” Zack cut himself off. “Cloud, what changed in your dream?”

            “There was a voice.” Cloud said, wrapping an arm around his queasy abdomen. “It told me that I needed to ‘save him’ but I don’t understand what it means. I just assumed…that it meant I needed to save _you,_ somehow.”

            “I heard a voice too. Except it said ‘find him.’ Then the next day, guess who I run into at the gym?” he chuckled. “Man, this is ten kinds of screwed up.”

            “You got that right. I’ve been trying to figure it out since it started. I just thought it was something my mind made up, or maybe I was crazy. But then Sephiroth was real, and now you’re real. Do you think someone is planting these? What would you even call them? Fortunes?”

            “Who or what has that kind of power though?” Zack pulled his feet onto the couch. “Maybe…maybe it’s nothing bad. Maybe we were just destined to become best buddies, and we’re over analyzing it.” He offered a half-hearted smile.

            “Wishful thinking.” Cloud smiled. “But I don’t think that’s the case.”

            Zack laughed lightly. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

            The two sat silently for a moment, processing their own thoughts. Finally, Zack spoke again.

            “So, did you really even want to join Shinra? Or was it the dream that made you do it?”

            Cloud’s face went a little red. “I joined because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if somewhere down the road I found out there was something I could have done to prevent you and Tifa from dying. I…I kind of joined assuming that I would have to fight Sephiroth someday.”

            “So that’s why you train so hard.” Zack observed. “You plan on fighting the unbeatable General Sephiroth.”

            “If it comes to that, yes. But I was hoping that maybe by me just showing up, I would be able to somehow change things. What about you, is that why you joined?”

Zack nodded. “In my dream…God, this sounds cheesy, but I felt connected to you. Like the one goal I had in the entire world was to make sure that you got to safety. And we were wearing Shinra uniforms, so my ten year old self kind of pieced it together.” He looked nervously at Cloud. “I guess I felt like I needed to be your hero or something.”

            Cloud smiled. “The feeling is mutual.”

            Zack returned the smile. “So what now?”

            “I don’t know.” Cloud replied simply. “What _can_ we do? We don’t know who’s behind this. We don’t know _why_ they’re doing it. We don’t even know if these are real premonitions. All we really know is that we were supposed to meet. I guess that’s all we can do for now. Just kind of…keep doing what we were originally doing. Maybe there will be another change to the dream that will lead us in the right direction.”

            Zack nodded. “I’m not even gonna be able to sleep tonight!”

            “Me either.” Cloud said, though his eyelids were beginning to grow heavy.

            Zack smirked at him. “You’re such a liar, you’re falling asleep right now!”

            “I’m not!” Cloud defended. “I’m just…thinking.”

            “Why don’t you crash on my couch?” Zack offered. “I’ve got extra clothes you can sleep in and everything.”

            Cloud looked around for a clock, giving up after a few seconds. “I don’t want to inrude-“

            “Seriously, Cloud, we just shared an intense bonding moment, and you’re worried about being an intrusion?” he leaned forward and rested his hand on Cloud’s knee. “I’ll go get you a blanket and something else to wear.”

            Zack’s hand lingered on Cloud’s knee before he went into his bedroom, but Cloud barely noticed. Was he really going to stay in Zack’s apartment? It seemed so surreal, every part of it. He had thought he was the only one having these dreams. But if both he and Zack were, who else was? Did Sephiroth and Tifa have these kinds of dreams too?

            Zack threw Cloud a pair of sweat pants. “Those should be relatively clean.”

            “Thanks.” Cloud stripped his jeans off immediately to change. Zack had retreated back into his room, emerging with Cloud’s glass of water as soon as the sweats were pulled up over Cloud’s boxers.

            “Here’s this.” He set the glass on the table, along with a small pill bottle. “And this is for if you still feel like shit in the morning.” He then nodded towards the blanket on the back of the couch. “That’s actually the only other one I have, so if you get too cold, you’ll have to come snuggle up to me.” He winked.

            Cloud blushed and flopped back onto the couch. “Good night, Zack.”

            Zack flipped off the living room light switch. “Night, Spike.”

* * *

 

            Zack heard Cloud begin to snore shortly after he shut the lights off, but his own sleep did not follow suit so quickly. His brain was going through everything that had happened in only a matter of hours.

            First off, Cloud was a babe. He knew that he was beginning to fall hard for the northern born runt, despite his best attempt at controlling it. He knew that he had only known Cloud for a grand total of thirty some hours, but given the fact that he had been dreaming about him for half of his life, he felt like he had known him for longer. There was definitely some kind of connection there.

            He also needed to figure out what these dreams were. If they _were_ premonitions, then he needed to do whatever it took in order to keep them from happening. He needed to keep Cloud safe, no matter what. But what if they weren’t? What if someone had planted these thoughts into their heads to somehow do harm? If that was the case, he needed to find out who did it, and why.

            Zack sighed and turned onto his stomach. The dream didn’t really matter to him anymore anyways. The only thing that mattered was that he met an amazing guy, and he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of their friendship. Even if it never developed further, Zack knew that he and Cloud had a special bond, and he would do everything in his power to assure that no harm ever came to the younger man. Even if it meant compromising his own safety.

            He made a personal vow that he would be Cloud’s hero.

 

             

 

           

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, these dreams DID have an effect on Cloud and Zack! I like to think that because they could both feel an emotional connection to each other within their dreams over a long period of time, it sort of altered their sexuality. Or rather, it made them realize their true sexuality (I'm a firm believer that both Cloud and Zack were bisexual, so that's how they'll be portrayed here as well). So yeah. I read through this so many times, trying to get the writing style right, so I'm sure it might sound a little rough. I'm still working on getting the style down! But anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! It's really going to start taking off from here on out, so gird your loins and buckle up! Also, don't hesitate to comment to tell me how you felt. I love constructive criticism and feedback! Till next time!
> 
> *This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Final Fantasy world, which is trademarked by Square Enix. Unfortunately, I do not claim any ownership over these characters. I do not profit financially from this work.


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